Big Sky Astrology Podcast – Ep. 328 (1.12.26)
Capricorn New Moon: Reading Tea Leaves!
Hello Invisible Friend, April here, and the date today is January 12th, 2026. Welcome to Episode 328 of the Big Sky Astrology Podcast.
This week, communications go into overdrive as Mercury aspects Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus. Venus makes soothing aspects with Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, and enters independent, future-oriented Aquarius. The Sun embraces both the tried and true and innovation as it connects with Saturn and Uranus.
The week ends with a zestier-than-usual new moon in Capricorn, and I will tell you about this week’s listener question, which will be featured on my YouTube channel.
Mercury opposes Jupiter (Jan. 14, 2026, 12:17 am PST)
Mercury opposes Jupiter on Wednesday, January 14th, at 12:17 a.m. Pacific time, at 19 degrees, 34 minutes, Capricorn and Cancer. Mercury is the planet of communication, and in the sign of Capricorn, it’s not the chattiest Mercury.
It means that we like to use our words sparingly and using language that is direct and to the point. As Mercury opposes Jupiter in Cancer, Mercury is feeling a little more pressure to communicate, and to speak especially with words of affection because Jupiter is in Cancer. This isn’t necessarily a comfortable state of affairs for Mercury in Capricorn.
One thing that happens when Mercury is in a hard aspect to Jupiter is that we can get a flood of ideas and impressions coming from Jupiter, and we end up often getting a lot more information than we can comfortably convey through mere speech. And what can happen sometimes is we almost become paralyzed by the sheer volume of information coming into our brains, wanting to be expressed. But it is a very good combination for expressing your big ideas, your ideals, the big plans that you have for the year ahead, for example.
And you may not be able to express them all super comfortably, but at least the ideas are there.
Venus sextiles Saturn (Jan. 14, 2026, 10:19 pm PST)
Also on Wednesday, January 14th, at 10:19 p.m. Pacific Time, Venus sextiles Saturn in Pisces. The combination of Venus with Saturn invites us to take the things that we love and value and make them into something permanent, and to make them into something that will last.
Venus prefers to take it easy a little bit, generally, but not so much when it’s in Capricorn. In Capricorn, Venus says what I love is to work hard on things that are important to me. And a sextile aspect from Venus to Saturn gives an opportunity, but not a mandate, to take a relationship, for example, to a serious level, or to make financial investments in things that are a considerable expense, but will really stand the test of time and improve our lives in the long run.
Venus trines Uranus (Jan. 15, 2026, 7:22 am PST)
On Thursday, January 15th, Venus trines Uranus at 7:22 a.m. Pacific Time at 27 degrees 37 minutes Capricorn and Taurus. This aspect makes me think of the time years ago on our 10th wedding anniversary, when we stopped by the animal shelter to pick up a little companion kitten for Bodhi, a recent feline addition to our household. I had in mind a very specific kitten.
I was picturing something orange and white, kind of marmalade colored, named Max. Within the hour, however, we came home with a straggly brown tabby, whom Jonny immediately called Spike. I had had a very particular kitten in mind, but the heart was wiser and recognized the right kitten.
When Venus is connecting with Uranus, something that we’ve been wanting may show up in a surprising way. The timing could be unexpected, or it may arrive in a package that’s different than you imagined. I remember a friend describing meeting her eventual partner, and he looked very, very different than anybody she had dated, and anybody that she had considered dating.
Eventually, she realized just what a lovely person he was, and they ended up being together for many, many years. So, sometimes things that will be really good for us, that we’ll really love, can show up just looking a little bit different than we expected. And when we have a short little aspect like this one, Venus trine Uranus, it’s just in effect for a couple of days.
We need to let our hearts guide us and surprise us.
Venus sextiles Neptune (Jan. 17, 2026, 12:33 am PST)
Saturday, January 17th, is a day filled with transits. Venus sextiles Neptune on January 17th at 12:33 AM Pacific Time at 29 degrees, 46 minutes, Capricorn and Pisces.
In the cycle of two planets, as in a love story, there are predictable chapters. The planets meet at the conjunction. They have their first kiss at the first square. They confront disillusionment at the opposition, and they decide whether or not they have a future together at the last square.
In between, there are moments of ease and ecstasy, the trying aspects, and then there are moments of choice represented by sextiles.
Often, these are moments that represent low-stakes choices. Do I confess that I don’t really like his favorite restaurant? Do I take a weekend away with my friends even though he might feel lonely? Do I risk sharing something from my past that I’m not proud of in the hope of gaining more intimacy? This is more or less what it’s like when Venus, the symbol of relationships, sextiles Neptune, the planet of romanticism and illusion. It’s a low-stakes aspect.
It grants the option to build an extra layer of honesty and empathy into the relationship if we choose.
Sun sextiles Saturn (Jan. 17, 2026, 2:41 am PST)
And also on Saturday, January 17th at 2:41 a.m. Pacific Time, the Sun makes a sextile to Saturn at 27 degrees, 19 minutes, Capricorn and Pisces. Again, the sextile is a kind of an optional aspect.
In this case, it’s giving the Sun, our sense of self, an opportunity, an opening to become a little more serious at something that we do or to take on some kind of opportunity or responsibility that may help us grow.
Over the years, I’ve spent many happy hours learning to bake bread. There is a point in the process where kneading the dough becomes counterproductive. It starts to turn tight and tough, and we can no longer shape it.
And so you have to let it rest. You cover it with a towel. You leave it on the counter for a half an hour or so. Go have a cup of tea, pet the cat. And when you come back, you’ll find that you and the dough are happier and more relaxed.
This is the lesson when the Sun makes a sextile aspect to Saturn. What is the key to happiness? It’s some combination of knowing who you are, what you want to become, and when to stop trying so hard and just let things happen.
Sun trines Uranus (Jan. 17, 2026, 8:58 am PST)
On January 17th at 8:58 a.m. Pacific time, the Sun trines Uranus at 27 degrees, 35 minutes, Capricorn and Taurus.
The Sun in Capricorn shines most brightly on our individual ambitions, the New Year’s resolutions that we make. This is the time of year when we think about what we intend to build, achieve, and create in the coming calendar year by ourselves, for ourselves. But being a happy human means balancing the supremacy of our individual selves with the very human need to feel that we are part of a group.
Twice each year, when the Sun trines Uranus, harmony and balance seem to reign. We like who we are, and others like us, too. It’s a brief transit, but it’s instructive.
Seeing our lives only through the lens of individual ambition is actually very isolating. So here we have a day or two, say on January 16th through January 17th, we have this opportunity for joining in the games and simple pleasures that we can share with other people.
The world needs its leaders, its executives, but we all need one another, too.
Venus enters Aquarius (Jan. 17, 2026, 4:43 am PST)
And on January 17th at 4:43 a.m. Pacific time, Venus enters Aquarius. Venus is a planet of connecting and relating to others and we tend to think of Aquarius as fairly detached, happier on its own or in groups.
But Venus in any sign describes how we experience love and relating and how we connect with the people who complete us in some way. Venus will be in Aquarius through February 10th.
And while it’s in this convivial sign, a couple of things come to mind. One is to enjoy the relationships in our lives that aren’t quite so deeply attached. Overall, Venus being in Aquarius says, let’s enjoy the people with whom we share interests and who we consider friends, but not necessarily friends of the heart, not necessarily friends that we contemplate having in our lives forever.
They might be, but really, Venus in Aquarius says there is a very valuable place in our lives for connections with people that we just share things in common with. They’re fun to be with. They like us, and we like them.
Mercury conjoins Mars (Jan. 17, 2026, 11:40 pm PST) at 26°03’ Capricorn
And finally, on January 17th at 11:40 p.m. Pacific time, Mercury makes a conjunction with Mars at 26 degrees, three minutes Capricorn. This aspect often makes me think of the quote, and I believe it was from Gloria Steinem, who once famously said, “The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off.”
Mercury conjunct Mars is a symbol of saying the things that really need to be said. Saying what we’ve been holding in for a long time, that we’ve decided we can’t or don’t want to hold in any longer. And being very blunt and to the point about what we think and what we believe.
It doesn’t always gain us popularity, but that’s not the point of this conjunction, especially in Capricorn. This is a combination in a sign that gives us carte blanche to give orders if necessary and to tell people in no uncertain terms, this is what I want, this is how it’s going to go, and feel free to follow or get out of the way. I think if I would give you one piece of advice for this aspect on this day, it’s that a lot is happening on January 17th and we might all get a little bit carried away, our energy might be a little fractured, and keep in mind that just like you, the people you come in contact with might be feeling a little bit frazzled and a little bit on edge.
Try hard on this date not to lose your temper, not to get too aggressive with people, especially in the things that you’re saying.
Capricorn New Moon (Jan. 18, 2026, 11:52 am PST)
And now it’s time for the Moon Report, and we begin as always with the week’s most important lunation. This week, that’s the Capricorn New Moon on Sunday, January 18th at 11:52 a.m. Pacific Time at 28 degrees, 43 minutes Capricorn on the Sabian symbol 29 Capricorn, A woman reading tea leaves.
What an evocative symbol. I like it for this New Moon because the Sun and Moon, Mercury and Mars, and even Venus are close to a sextile aspect to Saturn and Neptune at the very end of metaphysical Pisces. I know a lot of symbol readers, tea leaf readers, astrologers, tarot card readers who have a Capricorn symbolism in their chart.
We don’t often think of Capricorn as very mystical, although it is symbolized by the sea goat. Capricorn can be very mystical and connected with the other world. But why I like it with this particular Sabian symbol is there is a kind of practicality about the way Capricorn interacts with the other world.
And it’s from a very practical point of view. I think of a woman reading tea leaves, and I think she used what was at hand. She reached over and picked up her companion’s teacup and carefully inspected the contents.
When you’re a symbol reader, you can find symbols in anything, including something like tea leaves. So, it’s a beautiful New Moon chart with a lot of planets in practical and pragmatic Capricorn. The Sun, Moon, Mercury, and Mars, all in a sextile aspect to Saturn and Neptune in Pisces, getting ready to leave that sign in the coming weeks.
That is a sign we do tend to think of as very mystical, very magical. Having a combination of the two says that mysticism is not always something that’s completely separate from us, something that inhabits an entirely different part of the world. Also, our practical everyday lives are a way to experience otherworldliness, mysticism.
Lunar Phase Family Cycle
This is the New Moon in a lunar phase family cycle that will unfold over the coming three years, with lunations every nine months that are very close to the same degree as this new moon. For example, nine months from now is a first quarter moon on October 18th, 2026, at 25 degrees 18 minutes Capricorn. The New Moon is a time when we often set intentions and goals for ourselves, and some of them we can accomplish in a single 29-day lunar cycle, but some take a lot longer to unfold, and that’s where the lunar phase family cycle is so fascinating.
Whatever it is that you are putting out intentions for at this New Moon, with Capricorn, it can often have to do with earthly ambitions. It can be about starting a business, growing a business, getting a promotion at your job, building a house, and those are things that aren’t necessarily going to happen in 29 days, but they can unfold over the next three years. So, at the First Quarter Moon in this lunar phase family cycle on October 18th, 2026, that’s a good opening for taking practical steps toward anything that you are planning at this New Moon.
Nine months later, at the Full Moon of July 18th, 2027, at 25 degrees 48 minutes Capricorn, you should begin to see how the things that you were planning are starting to pan out. Do they look the way you were hoping they would look, or do you need to make some radical changes to get to the point you want to get to?
And nine months after that, there’s a Last Quarter Moon on April 16th, 2028, at 27 degrees 12 minutes Capricorn. That is your final pivot point.
That is a little bit of a crisis of confidence in what it is that you set out to do. You may start to wonder, “Am I ever really going to accomplish this thing?” Maybe you will, and maybe you won’t. Realistically, not everything pans out, but that Last Quarter Moon is the opportunity to assess the situations and make a final change or adjustment that can help get you to the finish line.
Void-of-Course Moon periods
Let’s look at the Void-of-Course Moon periods for this week.
On Tuesday, January 13th, the Moon in Scorpio trines Neptune at 2:59 p.m. Pacific time. It’s Void-of-Course for 35 minutes, then enters Sagittarius at 3:34 p.m. Neptune’s going to be moving into Aries in just a couple of weeks, so having these Moon and Neptune transits in water signs will be a thing of the past very soon.
But at this particular Void-of-Course Moon, intuition and compassion could be very strong. Use this Void-of-Course Moon period to get into the habit of practicing kindness towards other living beings. It’s not always the Moon in Scorpio’s first impulse because it is a deep feeling Moon, but it is ruled by Mars, and it’s not always our most compassionate impulses that make themselves known.
But as this Moon makes the trine to Neptune, here is your opportunity. Here’s a little opening to gentle your more Scorpionic impulses and practice kindness.
On Friday, January 16th, the Moon in Sagittarius squares Neptune at 3:19 a.m. Pacific time. It’s Void-of-Course for 28 minutes, then enters Capricorn at 3:47 a.m. This transit is happening while most people are sleeping, on especially the West Coast of the United States. There’s a good chance that your sleep will be very heavy and your dreams very vivid, and some even a little disturbing.
This is a good Void-of-Course Moon to establish a habit of dream journaling, and you can even set the intention to remember your dreams as you’re going to sleep. And then when you wake up, make sure that you jot down some notes about them. You can gain insight and clarity during this Void-of-Course Moon on issues that may come up in your waking life.
And on Sunday, January 18th, the Moon in Capricorn sextiles Neptune at 1:57 p.m. Pacific time.
It’s Void-of-Course for 21 minutes and enters Aquarius at 2:18 p.m. This is, in essence, leading us to the New Moon chart, the Moon in Capricorn, and making that lovely sextile to Neptune. This is an opportunity for inspiration to strike and to take advantage of this inspiration and creativity by actually doing something tangible during this short span of time, to create something that is simple and practical but very beautiful. Get into the habit of trying to take the practical tasks of each day and try to bring some beauty to them.
Mercury sextiles Saturn (Jan. 18, 2026, 8:09 pm PST)
Mercury trines Uranus (Jan. 18, 2026, 9:38 pm PST)
On Sunday, January 18th, two Mercury aspects close out the week. Mercury sextiles Saturn at 8:09 p.m. Pacific time at 27 degrees 28 minutes Capricorn and Pisces, and to Mercury trines Uranus at 9:38 p.m. Pacific time at 27 degrees 34 minutes Capricorn and Taurus.
Mercury in aspect to Saturn is always a good aspect for trying to take our ideas, our thoughts, our inspirations, and make something practical of them. At the very least, write them down, give them some kind of practical form. Mercury connecting with Saturn in a difficult aspect, like a square, can give us a little bit of writer’s block or a sense of not being able to express ourselves the way we would like, and this is especially true with Mercury in Capricorn. But this is a lovely aspect, this is a lyrical aspect to Saturn, and it’s on a beautiful Sabian symbol, 28 Pisces, A fertile garden under the full moon.
We’re getting to the very end of Saturn in Pisces, and this is a time to really make sure we’re capturing a lot of the ideas that have come our way and a lot of the mental and communicative work that we’ve tried to accomplish during the two and a half years or so that Saturn’s been in Pisces.
And Mercury trying Uranus at 9:38 p.m. is a lot less practical and a lot more inspirational. It is about capturing those wild moments of insight and inspiration that otherwise will just be gone forever.
This combination of Mercury with Saturn and Uranus within just an hour and a half of each other tells us that there is a place for both practicality and formats and taking things really seriously, but also leaving ourselves open to new ideas and fresh ways of doing things.
Listener Question
This week’s listener question will be available on my YouTube channel. When we have weeks like this, we have so many transits that I want to cover on the episode. It’s very hard to make room for those listener questions but we’ll leave a link in our show notes and if you would like to have a question answered on a future episode leave a voicemail of one minute or less at speakpipe.com/bigskyastrologypodcast or you can just leave me an email at april (at) bigskyastrology (dot)com and be sure you put “Podcast Question” in the subject line.
Door Thanks
Well, that is everything I have on my show sheet, so I’m going to wrap this one up. Thank you for listening to the Big Sky Astrology Podcast. If you like what you’re hearing, I hope that you will subscribe, it’s totally free, or follow the show in your app of choice.
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That is it for this episode. Join me again bright and early next Monday. And until then, keep your feet on the ground and your eyes on the stars.
Writing and images © 2017-26 by April Elliott Kent
For more on this week’s planetary news, read my column!
